With visions of Jordan Zimmermann dancing in their heads, Nats fans are starting to look ahead to this June's draft and its tantalizing possibilities. The thought of a Stephen Strasburg/Zimermann one-two combo is enough to make any Nats fan drool from the corners of their mouth.
The Aztec Ace dominated another game over the weekend, upping his record to 9-0 with a Gibsonian 1.54 ERA.
He pitched against the No. 16 team in the country, and it was his "worst" outing of the season: three runs. What a bum.
He struck out 14 batters in 7 innings in front of the largest crowd in San Diego State history. The 3,072 fans rivals some of MASN's TV audiences for the Nats.
Despite the dominance, some are starting to question the wisdom of letting him throw so deep into games. His 121-pitch outing came on the heels of a 129-pitch effort in his last game.
While there might be some merit to these concerns, the 'Burg pitches just once a week, getting extra rest between each start. And it's entirely likely that he's not throwing with max effort on each pitch, as the eigth- and ninth-place hitters on these teams should be no match for him.
While Stan Kasten's vaunted "plan" might have jumped the tracks with some of the stagnation of the Nats' prospects in the minors, Strasburg alone can instantly undo whatever damage was caused by not signing their first round pick last season.
A few seasons back, Ted Leonsis -- while floundering for how best to move forward -- got a bit lucky, stealing away a once in a generation talent with the number one overall pick.
The Nats have every chance to duplicate that plan. The wins, too, will follow.
Chris Needham used to write Capitol Punishment. If the Nats screw this one up...
